Women’s Lacrosse: Terriers pummel Lafayette, win second straight

By Joe Eachus

The Boston University women’s lacrosse offense continues to fire on all cylinders, defeating the Lafayette Leopards 18-7 at Nickerson Field on a warm Easter Sunday afternoon.

The Terriers (3-4) were shorthanded going into the game against Lafayette (0-4) on Sunday, with 15 players out of the lineup. However, those who were inserted into the lineup made a huge difference, with eight different players scoring goals.

Seniors Makenzie Irvine and Emily Vervlied led the team in goals with seven and three, respectively. Senior Ryann Gaffney also scored her first goal in two years, as she battled back into the lineup following several seasons lost to injury.

On the other side of the ball, the lone bright spot for Lafayette was junior attacker Olivia Cunningham’s hat trick. A very disappointing season continues for the Leopards, as they lose their fourth straight and have yet to score in the double digits.

No performance was more heroic than BU senior attacker Megan Hickey as she stepped between the pipes as an emergency backup goaltender, with the Terriers missing their top three netminders for Sunday’s matchup. Hickey made 10 saves on 17 shots, good for a .588 save percentage.

The Terriers had the game nearly out of reach by the end of the first half, with a 3-0 run to end the first, leading 12-6. In the second half, though, the Terriers ran away with it, putting in six more goals to Lafayette’s one.

Emily Vervlied, the game’s leading scorer with nine points, went down halfway through the second half with what seemed to be a scary-looking injury following contact. However, BU head coach Lauren Morton said postgame that she was cleared to return by the medical staff and will be good to go next weekend.

The Terriers head out to Worcester next weekend to face Holy Cross (2-4) at Kuzniewski Field, while the Leopards ship off to West Point to face the Army Black Knights.